Two new Kütchenhaus kitchen showrooms have launched in Cheshire and a uniting passion binds the teams behind them both.

If you’re not familiar with the brand Kütchenhaus, you might assume that it’s just another high-end, high-cost German kitchen maker tapping into the British love for stylish, precision-made kitchens. You would be just a little bit wrong, it turns out.

‘Our greatest challenge is that people always associate German brands with the highest quality and associated high costs,’ says Matthew Ashby, who opened the Chester showroom with business partner Robert McKenna in August 2018. ‘In the case of Kütchenhaus they’d be partially correct; it delivers the high-end design and precision engineering we want, but the costs are much more sensible than people expect. Once people can see what we can create for them, and the budget we can achieve, they’re always quite delighted!’

On entering the showroom you are immediately drawn to a most tactile experience, as you run your hands across cabinets and work surfaces in a dazzling variety of finishes and materials, from gloss to matt and from traditional composites to the new kid on the block, textured concrete, which combines form and function in one surprisingly beautiful package. It’s this access to everything you could want from a new kitchen you expect, indeed demand, last a decade or more that will ensure that this new kitchen brand in Cheshire will succeed. Oh, and the indisputable design talents of the teams that have brought it to us, of course!

Matt worked for Kütchenhaus for over a decade and then with Nobilia, the parent company and supplier, for another three years before partnering with Rob, a fellow designer of 10 years experience, to establish their own kitchen company, a dream they had held for many years.

The Kutchenhaus Chester store

‘There’s nothing I don’t know and like about this organisation,’ he says. ‘Their ethos on design and manufacture is centred around the customer experience. I was always going to work with Nobilia; for the money you pay you absolutely won’t find better quality. The most obvious brand to support this was Kütchenhaus, which is growing very rapidly in the UK, down to its reputation for design, quality and cost.’

Karl, who with his wife Chloe open their Kütchenhaus showroom in Wilmslow this month, also has significant experience in the industry having managed the showroom sales and installation service for a large national company for 15 years.

He says: ‘I believe you can have a £100k-style kitchen for £20k with Kütchenhaus and you really wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Nothing we do is off-the-shelf, it’s all made-to-order and totally bespoke to the client’s design.’

The design process takes place at the Kütchenhaus showroom, using state-of-the-art technology.

‘Once we have accurate measurements of the planned kitchen area, then we can create 3D visuals of the proposed design,’ says Rob. ‘We have a huge range of colours, styles and finishes to show clients and undertake detailed conversations with them before we start their plan. Often people come here simply wanting to replace their current kitchen in the same form and layout as they currently have; they are usually very surprised with what we can do for them that really lifts the space from purely functional to more of a lifestyle.’

‘We deliver the lifestyle our customers want,’ Karl says. ‘I’d describe the process we go through with them as a “design experience.” We absolutely don’t just put boxes on walls. By taking time to understand how people will use their new kitchens we can create a living space that really enhances their day-to-day life.’

Matt adds: ‘Our 3D design technology allows the customer to see and ‘walk’ through the new space and really envision how it will all come together, which is really hard when the work’s in full flow and the only thing they have is a 2D builder’s plan.’

From just a short chat with Matt, Rob and Karl their commitment to customer care becomes very clear.

‘Regardless of the level of investment we give all our customers the same service,’ Matt says. ‘It’s our objective that every single customer is proud of their new kitchen and wants to show it off to family and friends. People who love the design but perhaps think they have been over-charged, or who have had a disappointing experience with the fitting of the kitchen, that’s the thing that they remember longest.’

Karl sums it up: ‘It’s easy to say you genuinely care, but it’s not about the tell, is it? It’s about the show. We will prove, every time, that we have a genuine interest in and care for our customers’ needs, hopes and wishes and deliver a living space they’ll be proud of for years and years into the future.’